moosestang

I put 235/45/17's on the rear of my car and didn't notice any problems with the abs. Those are 2 inches shorter than the fronts. I assume the problem would be when applying the brakes, but on the short test drive I did I didn't notice anything unusual.

I have traction control permanently disabled if that matters.

jerjan

I was a service manager at a dealer in my past. Most dealers will stick strictly to the book when it comes to this kinda stuff. There are so many scenarios that can come back at them and bite them in the *** if they don't. If they tell you that you can do a certain thing and that certain thing causes a problem, then they can be held liable for it. There are so many legal issues you just wouldn't understand unless you've been in a dealers position. That doesn't mean that what you want to do would not work. It just means dealers won't tell you cause they gotta cover their *** when it comes to this stuff. The last thing they want is a legal issue regarding a modification that effects a safety vital part of your car such as the ABS/Traction control systems.

bascho

That's makes a lot of sense. I'm sure that is the case and if I were in their shoes I'd do the same. That is why as owners it's important to have a technical understanding of our automobiles......so that you can form your own opinion about the tire change effects.

Rupp

I'm like it's your car do like what ever you want to with it. Like if something breaks like it's still your car without a waranty.

Jerseyfury2

lol oops. anyway, i'm gettin 2 snows put on the rear this friday.
-Mike

Centurion96

Actually it is not uncommon to have two tires from different manufacturers with the same listed dimensions have different diameters. In the 4x4 world it is quite common to have two 31" tires whose diameter can vary by an inch or more. That's why it is not a good idea to mix and match tires from different manufacturers on a 4x4 where axle wrap can damage your drive train.

If the reason you are putting only two winter tires on your car is because you can only afford two then put them up front. In the winter controlled stops are much more important than added traction. With only two winter tires in the rear you have gained added traction but lost the ability to stop or steer due to the conditions that warranted the winter tires in the first place. So if you can't go with summer tires in the rear under certain weather conditions then those same summer tires up front aren't going to help you stop either. Go is not the important factor here, Stop is unless you make it a practice of using other peoples vehicles as a means of stopping.

Again from the 4x4 world, many people bought into 4x4 SUVs because they thought these vehicles would perform better in adverse weather conditions. Well that is only half true, yes the will be able to get added traction and go but what these people fail to realize is that their SUV only has 4 wheel brakes, just like every other car on the road. They won't stop any better than anyone else but due to the increased speed from their added traction, they will be meeting their neighbors much quicker at a higher rate of speed.

'07 Torch Red GT Vert.